EFFECTS OF ISCHEMIA ON LONG-TRACT NEURAL CONDUCTION IN THE SPINAL-CORD

In this experiment, the effects of ischemia on neural conduction in the monkey spinal cord were studied. In six monkeys generalized ischemia of the spinal cord was created by bleeding the animals to a hypotensive level below the lower limits of autoregulation in the spinal cord. The progressive development of spinal cord ischemia was documented by blood-flow measurement using the hydrogen clearance method. Physiological integrity of the spinal cord was monitored and recorded by the spinal evoked response. The spinal evoked response did not disappear until at least 10 minutes of profound ischemia. At levels of ischemia 20% to 25% of normal blood flow, the spinal evoked response was unchanged. It is concluded that long-tract neural conduction in the spinal cord is relatively resistant to the effects of ischemia.